


The next best thing

by WoodsWitch



Series: Flights of Fancy [1]
Category: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: Anal Sex, Blow Jobs, Burn first-aid, Communication, Domestic, Established Relationship, Ineffable Idiots (Good Omens), Kissing, M/M, Metaphysical Sex, Misunderstandings, Post-Scene: Church in London 1941 (Good Omens)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-06
Updated: 2020-08-06
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:08:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25741828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WoodsWitch/pseuds/WoodsWitch
Summary: Flights of Fancy part 1:"Hang on, hang on!" Crowley interrupted, halfway sitting up. "I thought you weren't into that sort of thing. You don't even..." The demon waved a hand, indicating the angel's pelvic region. While it wasn't obvious under Aziraphale's loose-fitting trousers, he knew that area to be as blank as it always was, barring the rare situations when a human might be in the position to notice and be surprised if something was missing."Well, I'm not, as a rule. But..."In which, a year after the Apocawhoops and various subsequent adventures, Crowley gets up the courage to ask about the fact that, for a very long time, Aziraphale had assumed demons to be incapable of falling in love. He ends up learning about a surprising fantasy the angel had concocted in the 1940s regarding how to express one's affections for a supposedly aromantic demon.**TW: Probably none of this counts as dubcon, given that A: the person doing stuff they're not 100% into is the one insisting on it and B: it is set up as purely a product of that person's imagination. But seemed worth a mention
Relationships: Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens)
Series: Flights of Fancy [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1867303
Comments: 5
Kudos: 43





	The next best thing

Crowley had always been an impulsive creature especially, though not exclusively, when it came to questions. That an early spur-of-the-moment decision had resulted in a thousand MPH dive into a pit of burning sulfur had only tempered this tendency, not eliminated it. Afterward, when a rash idea presented itself, he metaphorically circled it, scenting it with the flicker of a forked tongue: _Will this burn?_ And yet, even when the answer was 'maybe' or even 'probably', the decision to act could be as swift as the strike of his serpent form. These leaps of faith sometimes got him into trouble, but quite a few were rewarded, especially those that concerned a certain celestial being. Not always, of course - the Unfallen are, through self selection, a more cautious lot - but where it mattered most: the decision to approach the shining Guardian of the eastern gated; to propose an Arrangement; to beg his help in stopping Armageddon from incinerating the little planet they'd both grown so fond of. And most of all, of course, the decision to place his black, broken, yet still-ardent heart in said angel's hands.

Which was how, almost a year after the world didn't end, he came to be sprawled across the sofa in the back of _their_ bookshop, his head in the angel's lap, asking a question that, had it popped into his mind ten months earlier, he might have either bitten back or instantly regretted.

"Angel?"

"Hmm?" Aziraphale had a book open in his right hand, while the fingers of his left carded absently through the demon's dark red curls.

"You know how, a while ago, you said it was that thing with the church, and the Nazis, that made you realize, um..."

The angel beamed down at him. "That I love you? And that it was right - if not exactly prudent - to do so?"

The demon blushed slightly. He wondered if he would ever quite get used to Aziraphale saying things like that so calmly and confidently; he rather hoped not. "Nnggh. Yeah. But...it wasn't just the risk, was it? The reason you didn't say anything then. You said you didn't think I...well, that I even _could_..." His voice broke slightly. Strangely, it still hurt a bit, that assumption.

Aziraphale sighed, and put down his book. "No. Like a fool, I believed my bosses' poorly-informed pronouncements on the ability of demons to love over the evidence of my own experience. Not that I was _entirely_ blind. I knew they were incorrect about you not being _worthy_ of love, and you clearly _cared_ \- about humanity, about me - more than was supposed to be possible. But that last step..."

Crowley took the angel's hand, which had stopped playing with his hair and started clasping the other anxiously, and kissed his knuckles gently. "You had to convince yourself it couldn't be." The demon sighed. "I suppose I can't really judge, can I? After all, I knew about _me_ and strongly suspected about _you_ and still went 6000 years not saying it. Dropping _serious hints_ , mind you. But not actually _saying_ it. Because what if I did and it made things weird or you took it the wrong way and didn't want to talk to me anymore? And even if neither of those things happened, if by some miracle you loved me too, it's not like it would have been _allowed_."

"Yes, I suppose that was it. Although," Aziraphale added tentatively, "Even back then - believing those lies, or telling myself I did - I sometimes wondered what might have happened if I _had_ said something that night. Or, um, done something."

The demon arched an eyebrow. " _Done_ something, eh? What did you have in mind?"

It was the angel's turn to blush. "Well..."

~~~

"Angel? We're here."

Crowley's voice shook Aziraphale out of the slightly dazed state he'd been in for most of the drive back from the bombed-out church.

"What? Oh, so we are." He looked over at the demon, and his heart did that same somersaulting-into-his-stomach-and-back-up thing it had when Crowley had handed over the miraculously-saved bag of books with that crooked little half-smile. _Oh Lord, I love him! How did I ever manage to convince myself otherwise?_

"Everything all right?"

"Yes. Perfectly. Tickety boo." There was an awkward pause. _Ask him in, you idiot! Don't be rude again NOW for heaven's sake!_ "Er, would you like to come in? For a drink or...or something?"

Crowley grinned. "You know I never say no to that, Angel."

Somehow, the angel managed to get out of the car and unlock the door to the shop. As he set down the bag of books and turned around, he noticed that the demon was limping slightly. "Oh, Crowley! Your _feet_!"

"S'nothing," the demon replied, clearly suppressing a wince.

"It's not _nothing_ ," Aziraphale insisted firmly. "You spent at least five minutes standing on consecrated ground! Go sit down; I'll bring you something for them."

When he returned, carrying a shallow basin of cool water, the demon had settled in his usual spot on the sofa in the back room. His dapper black hat had been hung on the rack, but he still wore his dark glasses and..."Shoes. Off."

Crowley did that thing where he rolled his whole head to indicate that, behind his shades, he was rolling his eyes. "Angel, really. You're making a fuss over nothing."

"I'll be the judge of that, once I see your feet. Take off your shoes."

Grumbling and hissing, the demon complied. Although he did seem to have taken the precaution of miracling himself extra-thick socks and shoes with unusually sturdy soles, the skin on the underside of his feet was red with a few small blisters puffing up here and there. Aziraphale directed him to roll up his trouser legs and soak his feet in the water, while the angel poured each of them a scotch.

"So. Trying your hand at a bit of espionage, eh?" the demon asked. The hint of a smile played over his lips.

"Not particularly competently, I'm afraid. By the way, I'm sorry I leapt to the conclusion that those awful people were with you. That was stupid of me1. I was just a bit baffled as to why your new name - which you never mentioned to _me_ , by the way - was 'famous' to them. What _have_ you been up to?"

Crowley shrugged. "Oh, you know. Fomenting." A casually cool posture is almost impossible to achieve while sitting with one's feet in a bowl of water, but Aziraphale noticed fondly that the demon seemed to be trying anyway.

"No, really. I'd like to know."

"It's a long story. And one I probably shouldn't say anything about just yet. But I promise I can tell you the whole thing next week."

Aziraphale's heart gave another little somersault. "You're going to be back next week?"

Crowley gave him an odd look, and the angel realized his voice had squeaked slightly. "Yep. Unless that's a problem?"

"No, no! Not a problem. Just surprised. I haven't seen you for more than a decade, dear boy."

"Ah, yeah. No, I should be around London for a bit."

"Oh, good! I mean..." Aziraphale tried to recover a little dignity. "Things have been rather unpleasant lately, and there isn't really anyone I can talk to who has a...similar perspective on things, I suppose."

Crowley snorted. "'Similar perspective'?"

"Oh, you know what I mean!"

The demon gave him a wry smile. "Yeah, I guess I do. Missed talking to you too. But I really should run off and..."

Crowley tried to rise to his feet and sat back with a hiss.

"Until you get those feet bandaged, you're not running anywhere," Aziraphale said firmly.

The angel knelt down and gently dried the demon's feet with a small towel he plucked out of thin air. The heavily ironic symbolism of the gesture was only slightly spoiled by the demonic grousing about how he wasn't a baby and could look after his own damned feet. Aziraphale ignored him, and proceeded to spread a soothing ointment over the soles, and bind a gauze pad to each.

~~~

"Angel, so far you're just recounting history," Crowley commented. "Not that it isn't interesting to get your version of it, of course."

"Hush, dear. I'm getting there."

~~~

Aziraphale finished wrapping Crowley's left foot, and placed it gently on the floor. But instead of getting briskly to his feet2, he found himself lingering, one hand on the demon's knee. When he finally raised his eyes, he found Crowley peering quizzically at him. The demon's glasses had slid down his nose, and he could see a hint of yellow eyes over the top.

"You sure everything's all right, Angel?"

Aziraphale swallowed. "Yes. But..."

He moved forward, rising up on his knees instead of sitting back on his heels as he had been, so that his face was almost level with Crowley's. The demon's eyebrows had crept up his face, but he otherwise looked frozen, as if petrified by the sight of the angel kneeling between his legs. Which, given the delicate tightrope act of their relationship up to this point, wasn't unreasonable.

Aziraphale had to be sure he wasn't reading things the wrong way. He reached out toward the dark glasses. "May I, my dear?"

Crowley made a sound that was not quite a word, but nodded.

As Aziraphale removed the glasses and set them aside, he saw the demon's serpent eyes were fully golden, bright with what might be a mixture of anxiety and hope. The angel breathed out. "There you are." He smiled, and reached out a hand to cup the demon's cheek. Crowley's skin was surprisingly soft, with just a hint of stubble, and he seemed to lean into the touch just slightly. "I wanted to thank you. For everything."

Aziraphale leaned forward, and brushed his lips against Crowley's. The demon made a tiny growl in the back of his throat, and the angel could feel long slim arms wrap around his back, pulling him closer. Emboldened, he ran his hands through Crowley's hair - too short, alas, but still as silky as he had always imagined - and kissed him more fervently.

The demon growled again, somewhat louder and hungrier. But then he abruptly pulled back and blinked at Aziraphale. "Wait. Angel. What are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?" the angel replied in what he hoped was a seductive tone. Given that it probably in fact sounded ridiculous3, he decided to distract from this by leaning in and planting a kiss in the hollow of the demon's neck just above the collarbone. He had long been aware that Crowley smelled like cinnamon and ash - not quite wood ash, and not quite volcanic ash, but somewhere in between. This close, and mixed with the slightly salty flavor of his skin, it was rather intoxicating. Crowley gave a very pleased-sounding groan, which was redoubled when the angel experimentally sucked on the same spot and licked the tender patch of skin behind his ear4. He returned his attention to the demon's mouth, this time opening his own slightly, and with a pleasant shiver felt the flicker of a forked tongue against his lips.

Then once again Crowley pulled back, apparently with some effort. Scales had popped out on the sides of his neck. "Wsfgl. Er. Not that this isn't ni...lo...fun and all. And I know you appreciated the thing with the books. But. You really don't have to do this."

_Always the gentleman._ An odd thing to think about a demon, but it was true. Long ago he had wondered if Crawly - as he had been known then - was literally stalking him, playing some kind of long game on behalf of hell. But after a while he had realized that the demon was always very aware of Aziraphale's boundaries, careful not to overstep without a signal that the angel might want that boundary crossed. Now the angel had turned the tables, offering something that hadn't been asked for but which seemed like it might be wanted. No wonder the poor boy was afraid he might do something wrong just standing still.

Aziraphale sighed. "This isn't just about that, or about any sort of obligation, my dear. It's...well, I love you. That is to say, I'm _in_ love with you. I think I have been for quite some time."

The demon looked pained. "Oh, Angel. I. Look, you must know I _can't_..."

"I know, my dear, I know," Aziraphale said quickly, "But I thought I should...that you should be aware. And...I'd like to show you how I feel. If you'd be willing."

Crowley swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing frantically on his long neck. "Nnrgnk. I'm not sure that's such a good idea, Angel."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want to hurt you."

Aziraphale traced his fingers over a patch of black scales. "You won't. I trust you."

The demon _tsked_ irritably. "I don't mean _physically_. But..."

Aziraphale laid a hand on the demon's narrow chest, fingers brushing the silk of his wine-colored tie, and sighed. "It's all right, my dear. I know you don't love me. That you can't. But...you do care about me, don't you?"

The demon raised an eyebrow. "You need to ask, after tonight?"

Aziraphale smiled at him. "Not really, no. That's rather the point. And you like my company?"

"You'd think I'd have hung around for several millennia if I didn't?" Crowley snorted.

"And you..." Oh, this was a harder one to say. But he pressed on anyway. "That is, I _think_ I've picked up on enough clues to reasonably suspect you...desire me?"

The demon let out a shaky breath. "Angel, you have no idea!"

"Well, then. Caring and liking and desiring might not _quite_ add up to love. But it's close, don't you think?"

"That's...huh. Interesting point." Crowley's brow furrowed. "Is that...really enough? For you?"

"Perhaps. I think so." It would have to be.

He leaned forward slightly, tipping his face up in invitation. Crowley did not need to be asked again, but leaned down and kissed him, more heatedly than before. Aziraphale felt slim fingers pushing his jacket off his shoulders and unraveling his bow tie. Purely by feel, he did the same, unwilling to break the kiss for even a moment. He wasn't quite sure about what might come next but _this_ , oh, this was wonderful. When it did stop, he almost whimpered with frustration, until he realized that Crowley was merely moving his attention to his neck, very gently nipping at it with his inhumanly pointed teeth as he undid the top buttons of the angel's shirt. It was a very different sensation from the kiss, but delicious in its own way - a tongue-burning curry to the former's velvety tiramisu.

Aziraphale's hands shook slightly as he unbuttoned the demon's charcoal-grey shirt, hungry as he was to slip them under that thin fabric, to feel the heat of the demon's skin against his. Crowley gave a deep rumbling growl as the angel's hands slid around his slim waist, and pulled him closer into another kiss. Aziraphale noticed with a pleasant shiver that both their shirts had vanished. He could feel, unimpeded, the warmth and the slight prickle of hair where their chests met, the long fingers of the demon's left hand tracing along his shoulder blades, the right splayed across his back, pulling him firmly against...Oh. The angel made an experimental wriggle, and Crowley gave a pleasurable hiss. Aziraphale hummed to himself and ran his hand along that bulge, and was rewarded with an "Angel!" that was half murmur, half groan.

_Oh, I'm probably going to regret this_ , he thought, as he started to undo the demon's trousers. But how could he resist when those beautiful amber eyes were watching him so hungrily? And he _was_ rather curious...

Crowley's cock was, like the rest of him, rather long and thin. It was also, at the moment, extremely hard, curving up slightly from a nest of dark copper curls. The demon shuddered as Aziraphale wrapped his hand around it.

"All right, my dear?"

"More than. Bless it, Angel - _please_."

The plea turned into a hiss of surprise and delight as the angel bent down and licked the tip.

~~~

"Hang on, hang on!" Crowley interrupted, halfway sitting up. "I thought you weren't into that sort of thing! You don't even..." The demon waved a hand, indicating the angel's pelvic region. While it wasn't obvious under Aziraphale's loose-fitting trousers, he knew that area to be as blank as it always was, barring the rare situations when a human might be in the position to notice and be surprised if something was missing5.

Aziraphale looked embarrassed. "Well, I'm _not_ , really. But, um, you did look very dashing - not that you don't always. And I'd thought about how generous you'd always been with me, turning up with little gifts of books or chocolates or figs even though I knew you didn't read for entertainment and you barely eat. And, given that your choice of fashion tends to be on the snug side, it's not like I haven't known for centuries that you usually Make An Effort."

The demon gave a self-satisfied grin. "Well, I _am_ meant to be tempting, after all."

The angel rolled his eyes. "Yes, well done. Temptation accomplished, obviously. Anyway, I assumed that human-style sex might be for you sort of like eating human food is for me, and so it might be possible to, to return the favor, as it were. Of course, I know _now_ that was a bit presumptuous, but..."

"Oh, I don't mind a bit. This is a _very_ interesting set of presumptions. I'm enjoying it _immensely_." And, indeed, he was. When Aziraphale was focused on thoughts of love or attraction, he had a tendency to glow, his aura extending to envelop the demon in a cocoon of light that felt exceedingly pleasant. Crowley nestled comfortably against the angel's thigh again. "Please, do continue."

~~~

Aziraphale had heard that this sort of thing took a good deal of concentration and coordination, and was finding that to be an accurate assessment. Quite apart from the matter of finding a rhythm and keeping one's teeth out of the way and such, he was a bit concerned about his gag reflex, which he suspected to be on the sensitive side. The last thing he wanted was to end up retching or, worse, actually throwing up on Crowley because either or both of them got a bit over-zealous. So he braced himself with one hand on the demon's hip and one around his base, allowing him to slide his mouth far enough up, but not too far. Crowley's fingers were tangled in his hair - but just guiding, fortunately, not tugging or pushing.

Hearing a deep hiss, Aziraphale risked a glance up. The demon was gazing down at him with something like wonder.

"Ohh, Angel. _Look_ at you."

The angel's heart gave another flip flop. _Look at_ _YOU_. With his huge golden eyes and flaring scales Crowley appeared decidedly non-human but possibly more gorgeous than ever. _And I'm doing this to you, you beautiful creature._ Aziraphale couldn't exactly smile at the moment, but he gave a happy hum. Crowley gasped. _Interesting...must be the vibration._ As he drew back this time, the angel tried tightening his lips around the head of the demon's cock and flicking his tongue against it. That drew another gasp.

"Unngh. Your _mouth_ , Angel! I should have known you'd be a quick ssstudy."

Aziraphale gave another little hum, grey eyes twinkling from under his lashes. The odd bitter taste, the warning sensation at the back of his throat when he sunk a little too far, the growing ache in his jaw...it was worth it, to see his beloved demon like this, lost in pleasure, his unscaled skin flushed and his breath coming faster.

Crowley shuddered. "Fuuuck. Angel. I...I'm almossst..."

_Oh dear._ Aziraphale realized he did not feel remotely ready for this bit. Fortunately, he had talked to enough humans with experience in these areas to rectify the impression left by some of the more exuberant pornographic literature that male-bodied beings tended to go off like a firehose. But, of course, who could tell with demons? For all he knew they'd inspired that rather terrifying image.

He pulled off hurriedly, and Crowley gave a disappointed whine.

"Excuse me, my dear. I...I...wondered if we might try something different?"

Crowley's snake-like pupils were blown wide, broad ovals instead of the usual thin slits. "Hmm. Like what, Angel?"

Aziraphale had no idea. Well, that is to say, all he really wanted to do was to kiss Crowley again, to explore that smooth pale skin with his lips and stroke those shining black scales with his fingertips, to drink in the spicy-smoky scent of him. So that was what he did, running his thumb along the faint line of red hair below the demon's navel, and kissing his way up that lean form. He was stalling for time, really - he'd have to come up with something else or be rightfully called a dreadful tease.

Not that Crowley really seemed to mind this diversion. As the angel slowly quested upward, he felt the demon's hands tracing over his back, and stroking at the tender spots below his shoulder blades that made his wings, folded away in a pocket dimension of their own, tremble in a wish to be manifested. Aziraphale traced a finger over the line of glossy black scales that now ran from behind the demon's ear toward his own shoulders. Crowley gave a hiss of pleasure and captured the angel's mouth with his own, his forked tongue flicking in as if he wanted to taste whatever traces of himself had been left there. His arms wrapped around Aziraphale, pulling him close against his body, one hand on the angel's neck, the other resting almost possessively on his lower back.

Oh, this was good. _To have this, THIS, forever, would be heavenly._ A blasphemous thought, but he had seldom felt so warm and safe in heaven as he did enfolded in his demon's arms. Perhaps never, except maybe at the moment of his own creation, when everything was new and full of wonder and there had been no cause yet to doubt. Strange, that this Adversary should have turned out to be a more steadfast companion, a greater help and comfort to a lonely Principality - and many an unfortunate human - than any angel, but there it was.

"Angel. Tell me...what you...what you want," Crowley rumbled in the spaces snatched between kisses.

_More of this, more of YOU._ In this moment, it was almost possible to forget that he'd never have what he most craved, so closely surrounded was he by everything Crowley. _Oh. OH. Perhaps..._

"You. I want you."

Aziraphale felt the demon chuckled into his neck, as he kissed and licked along the curve of it. "I know THAT. What...would you like to...do with me?"

The angel took a deep breath, and charged ahead. "I...possess me. Fill me up. I want to feel you as close to me as it is possible to be."

It shouldn't have been possible for Crowley's eyes to get any wider than they already were, but somehow they managed it. Then he smiled, crookedly. "I, um, assume you mean that in the human way, not the demon way, right?"

"Oh! Yes, sorry - poor wording. The human way, definitely."

Crowley growled under his breath, and as he kissed the angel again Aziraphale realized that the remainder of their clothing seemed to have vanished.

The demon's hands moved downward, and squeezed Aziraphale's arse lightly. "Oh, Angel, you don't know how long I've wanted to..."

He paused and looked slightly puzzled as he noticed the smooth, bare skin between the angel's legs. "Um, you're not really giving me a lot to work with here. Unless..."

Crowley's thumb slid down the cleft between the angel's cheeks until it found what it was seeking. "Is _thisss_ what you meant, Angel?" he half hissed, half whispered, pressing lightly against that ring of muscles.

Aziraphale shivered, and managed the tiniest of nods.

"Oh, you only have to say the word, Angel." Crowley gently spun him around, and planted a kiss at the base of his spine, just where the curve of his buttocks began. "Just say the word, and I would be more than happy to fuck this gorgeous, pillowy arse of yours however you want. I could sit you down on my cock just like this. Or, maybe, you'd prefer it if I bent you over that desk over there..."

"No!" Aziraphale squeaked. He coughed, and settled his voice into something less panicky-sounding. "Er, that is...It would hurt your feet to stand up like that right now. And, and I think I'd prefer to, to see your face. If that is manageable."

Crowley gave another of those pleased growls Aziraphale was coming to recognize. The angel found himself being suddenly twisted and lifted, almost _tossed_ onto the sofa. The demon was kneeling between his legs, pressing his arms into the cushions, kissing him fervently. "Like this, Angel?" he murmured against his lips.

"Oh! Yes. Jolly good." Aziraphale heard himself respond in a rather stunned voice.

Crowley grinned, and moved his hands to grip the angel's knees, tipping his hips up and spreading his legs further apart. Aziraphale felt the tip of the demon's cock slide up and down his cleft, teasingly, for a moment, before he drew back slightly and thrust...

~~~

"Gah!" the demon exclaimed, wincing. " _Seriously_ , Angel?" He'd been happily lost in the delicious tingling mantle of angelic love and lust until that last thought snapped him out of it abruptly.

Aziraphale frowned. "Oh, I'm sorry, my dear. If this is distasteful for you..."

"The general _concept_ isn't," Crowley clarified. "But although you seem to be aware I wouldn't want to hurt you, that last part sounds _very_ uncomfortable! Why is fictional me in such a blessed rush?"

The angel _tsked._ "Calm down, dear boy. I was about to explain."

~~~

Aziraphale felt his back passage relax, becoming miraculously slick and accommodating as the demon pushed forward. Crowley cried out as he sheathed himself fully inside the angel. He paused there for a moment, almost shivering.

"Fuck. Angel." He began to undulate his hips, thrusting slowly but relentlessly.

"Do you know how many centuries I've dreamed about this? Of having you this way..." He trailed his fingers over the angel's chest, pausing to toy with the pink nubs of his nipples. "...or on your knees, or any way at all? And now look at you." Crowley leaned in to kiss the angel's lips. "Inviting me in, taking me so beautifully." He straightened up a bit for leverage and began to thrust harder. "Oh, you feel so good, Angel. Is this...Do you like this too?"

Aziraphale wasn't entirely sure how long his lower back could take having his hips tilted at that unfamiliar angle. The drag and thrust of the demon's cock was fine - not by itself particularly pleasant or unpleasant. Oh, but to be looking up at Crowley's beautiful, angular face while he said such things and groaned and hissed and panted with pleasure, to feel his long arms framing Aziraphale's stouter torso, to wrap his legs around the demon's hips and pull him deeper inside, as if he could make him part of himself...

"Oh, yes, my dear. You're doing marvelously. Don't stop."

Crowley didn't, but redoubled his efforts. It was some minutes later, yet still far too soon, when he gasped: "Angel. I think I'm going to...may I?"

Well, this way was far less frightening than the other, and considerably less messy than some of the other options. So... "Yes. Of course, my darling."

Crowley thrust forward twice more, then gave a loud groan. Aziraphale could feel the damp, pulsing sensation as the demon came, but distracted himself by focusing on his beloved - the way the last shudders of pleasure rolled through him and the blissful, relaxed expression that followed.

For a moment, the demon pressed his forehead against Aziraphale's. Then he sighed, and, with an odd, slippery feeling, withdrew. He waved a hand, and the damp, sticky feeling vanished. Glancing up, the angel noticed that the miracle had also returned the demon's trousers and shirt.

Aziraphale closed his eyes and swallowed, already feeling bereft. Of course. Crowley wouldn't want to stay here, after. He had things to do. As did Aziraphale, naturally. But he wished...

Crowley paused, and, almost as if he had heard the silent wish, swung himself around and slid his arm beneath Aziraphale's shoulders, so that the angel lay against his chest. Aziraphale sighed contentedly and leaned back, as the demon wrapped his other arm across him.

"You know," he felt as much as heard Crowley murmur into his ear, "Next time maybe you could try wearing an Effort of your own. Whatever sort you like - I'm not particular. You might enjoy it; At least, I'd certainly do my best."

Next time. What _had_ he gotten himself into? And yet... _next time_ meant another chance to pull his demon close, to kiss him and touch him, and watch him unravel in his arms. And perhaps for Crowley to hold him afterwards, just like this. The demon was probably not particularly inclined to do so, but surely he would, being kind at heart, and happy to return a favor to a friend. Yes. It wasn't perfect, but perhaps it was the next best thing.

~~~

"So...did that allay your concerns, my dear?"

Crowley was looking very red-faced from the effects of both the angel's words and his brightening aura. He struggled to bring his speaking bits back under control6. "Hrmgh. Yep, very creative." He thought about it for a moment. "That was quite a selection of demonic miracles."

"I assumed hell wouldn't have asked too many questions...unless maybe they knew they were being used on an angel?"

Crowley chuckled. "Nah, you're right - the receipts don't have that level of detail. Though Dagon might have had some questions about why I would be that obvious with a human! But I notice you didn't mention either of us worrying either about either side's reaction, even though that was rather a running theme up until last year."

Aziraphale smiled awkwardly. "Quite. Well. I had to ignore that bit - sort of pretend it wasn't an issue - otherwise I would have made myself anxious about five seconds in."

Crowley nodded. "Mmm. So, to recap... You're basically saying that - if you hadn't been worried about our respective sides trying to murder us - you were enough in love with me eighty years ago to be willing to shag me on this very sofa, even though that's not really your thing and you thought I couldn't love you back?"

"Um. Yes, I suppose that sums it up, really. Seems a bit foolish when you say it like that, doesn't it?"

Crowley swung his legs around to sit in the angel's lap. He cupped Aziraphale's face in his palms and beamed at him. "Oh, my gorgeous, silly, self-sacrificing angel. Luckily, I _do_ love you. _And_ figured out how to do _this_."

Many people, when standing on the edge of a cliff overlooking the sea, hear a little voice in the back of their heads that whispers: _What if you jumped? What would it feel like to plunge into those dark waters, to feel them close over you? If you could do it and live, what mysteries might you uncover in those depths?_ For Aziraphale, the sensation as Crowley leaned forward and kissed him was something like stepping off that cliff. There was a brief shock as the demon's dark aura surrounded him, closing over him. But this darkness was not the cold, suffocating darkness of the sea, though it cradled him and rocked him back and forth like the waves. There _was_ mystery here, though. After all, what greater miracle could there be than to be utterly surrounded and buoyed up by the love of a being who you had long been told was incapable of producing the smallest puddle of the stuff? Dimly, he was aware that on the physical plane his hands were tangled in Crowley's hair as the demon whispered into his ear: "I love you, Angel. I've always loved you. And now that we truly have each other I'm never letting you go again." The angel breathed in the comforting dark like smoke, and felt it spark against his inner light, the dance of energies sending a tingle through every particle of his being.

He came back to himself with a gasp and a shudder, wrapped in the arms of the demon still sitting in his lap. "Oh, _Crowley_. My dear..." 

Crowley chuckled, and his golden eyes danced. "Better than your little invention, Angel?"

"Mmm. Immeasurably," Aziraphale sighed happily.

"Anything else you'd like?"

"Just...keep holding me for a bit?"

"Of course, Angel." Crowley shifted around a bit, to let Aziraphale lean on his chest, and pulled him in closer. "You know getting to do this is one of my favorite things, yeah? Not a hardship at all. Could probably stay like this for a hundred years, if you wanted me to."

"Hmm. While the offer is tempting, I dare say you would get bored and I would get peckish within, oh, ten years at the outside."

Crowley grunted. "Eh, you're probably right. This sofa's not the most comfortable spot for long-term slothfulness, either, really. I speak from experience here."

"Besides, my love," Aziraphale added, grey eyes twinkling, "I do rather intend on returning the favor at some point this evening."

Crowley grinned. "Ooh. I tremble with anticip..."

There was a very long extended pause.

"Um, Cr..." Aziraphale began.

"...pation," the demon concluded.

The angel snorted. "Oh. Very clever."

"Can't take credit for it, actually. But. I do."

1\. After all, not only did the demon seem to have a distaste for genuine evil, they both had a history, for one reason or another, across various centuries, of siding with a large proportion of the groups the Nazis sought to eliminate.Back

2\. As the real Aziraphale had done.Back

3\. And to some it might have. But past Aziraphale really needn't have worried. Crowley had secretly always been prepared to fight - or at least magically screw with - anyone who tried to claim that the fussy little bookseller was not attractive. And since the Apocawhoops the demon had privately decided that assertive Aziraphale was possibly the best thing in all three realms.Back

4\. Aziraphale broke off the story briefly at this point to note that, given how much can go wrong when you are basing your technique mainly off books, he was quite pleased to discover that he had imagined this bit just right.Back

5\. The ancient Roman baths, massage parlors, and trouser fittings, primarily.Back

6\. Another aspect of the situation that Aziraphale had imagined absolutely accurately.Back

**Author's Note:**

> So...This was my first attempt to write something smutty, and while it was hopefully reasonably successful, I can already tell this series would be more accurately described as: "Aziraphale and Crowley USE THEIR FRICKIN' WORDS."
> 
> BTW, I should note that human labels kind of fail for what I'm trying to describe here, both as the reality and the assumptions. For instance, Aziraphale had been assuming - as is more clearly described in 'Warning Coloration' - that demons don't Love _at all_ , which would include lacking romantic impulses but is obviously more extreme than being aromantic in the human sense. Similarly, I'm writing these two to be into each other in such a way that the label 'asexual' by itself would be highly misleading. I've therefore been trying to limit using these sorts of terms (never in the tags, and rarely in the main text). Anyway...just wanted to be clear that I'm not trying to make this non-human relationship line up with any specific human experience (especially any that are not mine), though there may be recognizable/analogous elements.


End file.
